help with 2003 A4 engine replacement

I own a 2003 A4 with 52,280 miles. The engine recently lost oil
pressure on a trip and suffered engine damage. Audi is refusing to pay
for the damage and I am apealing this decision with Audi corporate.

In the event they do not do the right thing, I am seeking a used
replacement engine for the car and would like to determine which engine
types can be used. My local supplier - who seems very good - pulled up
the engine type from the vehicle VIN#. He said the engine type is an
AMD. Unfortunately, he doesn't have an AMD but has an AWM type engine.
Is there any information available to crossreference the replacement
types? Any help would he greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks Steve, the car-part site is pretty helpful as I found a more
recent vintage engine for that body style. The particular engine in my
car is prone to clogging due to oil sludge a well-known problem with
this vintage engine. The service manager where the car was towed to
described the problem as a result of a oil transfer tube that is too
small for the engine. There is an extended drivetrain waranty on the
vehicle but they are denying coverage claiming I missed a service
interval. It's a longish story but I purchased the car from an Audi
dealership at 14k miles and it was supposed to have been serviced at
that point - but they claim not to have records of this. Anyhow,
planning to cover it myself at this point. Thanks again.

Just curious, what was the reason for oil pressure loss? Clogged up oil
pump as a result of sludge, by any chance?
Also, how much longer did you drive it from the moment the engine light
started flashing on the dashboard?

The AWM engine was used in 2001 A4 (B5 - the previous body style), so there
is a slight possiblity that engine/tranny mounts may be different. The
engine was also controlled by a different ECU, so again, you may run into
some incompatibility issues there. If you haven't checked there yet, the
crowd on www.AudiWorld.com might be able to tell you which engine types
could be a goot fit for your model year.
Good luck,
Pete

Thanks Pete. I was told by the Audi service manager that that engine
type has a problem with clogging of a screen located in a L-shaped oil
transfer tube. I am not sure he knew the exact problem in my vehicle
but this information was from a vehicle he just repaired. He showed me
the transfer tube/screen. Apparently, particulate generated in the
turbo collects in the screen. I am not sure of the location of the
transfer tube and am also puzzled why the oil filter does not remove
the particulate. In any event, I was traveling through Pennsylvania at
the time and my wife drove the car for about 20-30 miles before we
determined there was a problem. I have been advised to replace the
engine - not to repair the original. Thanks again for the info.
Greg

I would have inside of the engine inspected for sludge to determine if that
is what clogged up the screen. There is an extended (80K mile I believe)
Audi sludge warranty on these engines, if you can provide the records that
all maintenance (oil changes) was performed in a timely manner. Are you the
original owner? Was the car serviced at an Audi dealer?

Are you saying the light started flashing, and you kept driving for 20-30
miles? If so, this could fall under owner negligence as you are supposed to
pull off immediately in such cases, as per owner's manual. If Audi finds
out, they may deny coverage based on this. Of course, I'm just speculating
here as I wasn't there. :)
Pete

Thanks Pete. My wife was driving at the time and I was sleeping - we
were in the midst of an arguement as well. Just chalking it up to live
and learn. :-)
Anyhow, on the oil sludge thing - they are denying coverage based on a
missed service interval. I purchased the car as a demo - certified
pre-owned and it was supposed to have had been serviced at that point
but the Audi dealer claims not to have records of it - that is the
appeal I am making to Audi Corporate. Audi is not easy to deal with -
I love the car but am not happy with Audi response. I am planning to
fix the car and tweak the performance anyway but not sure if I will
purchase another Audi.
Greg

So... you fell asleep in the midst of a fight with your wife? LOL!
:)
Anyway, good luck with the repairs. AoA can be a pain to deal with
sometimes. The key is to keep pestering them or even threaten with a
lawyer.
The issue with the sludge had to do with the fact that Audi dealers were
using mineral oil instead of higher quality synthetic back then (2003)
during the scheduled maintenance visits. So even if the oil was changed on
time (once a year or every 10K miles per Audi), you could have ended up with
the same problem.
Pete

Pete,
Yeah - on a long road trip and argueing also - pretty stressful - like
I said: live and learn. Fortunately, the holidays went pretty well
after that.
The point about the mineral oil is very interesting. I recall asking
the service manager when I first brought the car in for maintenance
about the synthetic oil and he said that Audi now specifies synthetic
oil - didn't think to ask if the car originally had synthetic.
Greg

" I love the car but am not happy with Audi response. "
wow.....seems to be a common expression being voiced here and other places.
Maybe that will be remedied with the free service interval.....
.....what? They cancelled that ?????
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ - quite happy driving older Audis and supporting internet
parts suppliers
1980 Audi 5k - like I said...
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

Sorry to welcome you to the club.
See the TSB as to whether engine replacement is necessary.
http://www.pookrat.com/uploads/pics/TSB.pdf
Because the engine has valve tappets the oil light comes on at a higher
pressure than on other engines. Mine came on when the pressure dropped below
20 psi on the highway (other cars might light up as low as 6 psi). However,
if it is sludged but not yet damaged it will still require significant cost
to desludge and then it still may not be perfect.
How bad did it get. Did you just notice the oil light or did the pressure
get so low that the tappets started making noise? Regardless, put the
pressure on them.
I've tired of writing about sludge (some rants below). My vehicle (still
within the 4 yr 50k mi warranty period) is now considered neglected due to
an oil change after driving 12400 miles (previous owner), so now THEY WON'T
COVER ANYTHING even if it's as unrelated as the radio going bad. If you have
questions about it let me know.
--Art
http://www.audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2005-August/104952.html
http://www.audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2005-August/subject.html
http://audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2005-October/106376.html
http://audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2005-October/106386.html
http://audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2006-January/108082.html
http://audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/2006-January/108104.html

Art, Steve, Pete,
Thanks a lot for the information you've provided. I'm wrung-out over
haggling with Audi and want to get the car fixed to get past the
headache.
I found a performance shop specializing in Audi/VW and feel comfortable
doing business with them. Initially they recommended replacment with a
used low mileage engine but at the moment a reasonably priced,
low-mileage engine is not available. He thinks the engine rebuild
would be more cost effective. So I am arranging to transport the
vehicle to their facility and may wait a while to see if an engine
becomes available. In either case, I am thinking to add a performance
exhaust and coil-over shocks while I am at it. Add the ECU upgrade and
18" wheels later.
I'm rationalizing the upgrades to sooth the emotional trauma caused by
Audi's poor service, Just have to be careful to have a straight face
when I tell the wife that they were worn out and need
replacing......:-)
The exhaust and ECU upgrade seem to be the base set of upgrades - do
you guys agree or should I upgrade any engine components while the
engine is getting rebuilt?
Greg

Greg,
A4 "upgrades" - hmm...you might check with the postings at Audiworld or even
Motorgeek to see what people are doing there. I may be wrong, but if it's
the same engine as is installed in a similar vintage TT, one of the
differences between the 180 hp and 225 hp engines is a cast vs forged crank.
If you can get your hands on a 225 TT crank, or bottom end, you'll be better
off for chipping/bigger turbo/..../JATO unit strapped to roofracks....
As for selling tactics to the better half....I'm not one to ask. Mine has
already decreed that the next car I get I have to live in. (Maybe I could
get a DKW camper...)
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

Not engine-related per se, but you might also want to get a beefier
aftermarket bypass valve (BPV). The stock one is not up to task to handle
higher boost levels. I had a Forge DVR on my A4, but there are plenty
others that work well also. Even the stock one from a TT might do the job
apparently.
Cheers,
Pete

If you are rebuilding make sure you at least have the ventilation tubes
around the engine that are marked in the TSB inspected and replaced if
necessary. The problem with that is that as far as I know these parts are
available only through the dealer and are expensive. For instance, in
picture 17-A056 (I'm assuming you misheard your mechanic... your engine
should be AMB?) the plastic pressure valve labeled #20 goes for more than
$100 at my dealer. Definitely replace the bleeder valve (#6; 035103245G?;
$17).
Even though the TSB says to scrape the sludge off the head in place, I'm
guessing it would be a whole lot better to have it removed and soaked in
some solvent, carb cleaner?
Can't help with upgrades. Mine's stock.
--Art
http://www.pookrat.com/uploads/pics/TSB.pdf

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